A PEW i-IINTS ON CORRECT ARCHAEOLOGICAL NOMENCLATURE For many years Wl'itcrs on Irish Antiquities have been in tht habit of using a va:·iety of terms that are bewildering and often very misleading. Anyone famiiiar with the Journal of the Roy'll Society of Antiquaries must be aware of this. Implements should, as far a:': possible, be described under the names of the modern implement=· they represent, e.g. a stone, cop-- per er brcnzc, axe, hat'.'het, chise'. etc., shoo.lid be so named, and noJ. a celt. Ring Forts. Earthen ·Forts, Double Fo!t.>, Trip!e Ring Forts, should be so named. dropping the tenns ''Cahjr'', and ~'Caisea l". Standin_g stones of from 3' O" or 4' 0" upwards that !1ave evidently been sat on end for a-purpose shou!d be carefully exam:n-... ed for scorings, marking of any kind, possibiy ogams, and accur-- ately described. and many trad iticns co nnec te ~l with the·:n recorded. Everyone had a signif'.- cance. Some undoubtedly ·are Gr.ave Monuments. and many of them arc Boundary marks. A row of sta'.lding stones, three or more in a straight line. is an Alignment. Jn all cases ac~urat.e mcasurcme1; ts should be recorde:!. A Stone circle is a ring of fi vc or more standing stones. Note carefully any large stand i t~ g- stone in the lot. not quite in the line of the circ'.e. This is important. A Boulder circle is a ring of houldP1·s. not. s1 :1n<li11g sl1)rlt' ~ . sometimes found nro11nrl Dolmens. A ~tructure co11si~ting of i;ll'ge blocks of stone pitched together on end, not built. into a wall, h<>.d better be described as a "Megalithie Monumen t". The term "Giant's -Grave", though ar; o!d r.s the days of Si. Patrick, s_hould be dropped. A structu re consi~ting of three o:- more standing swnes :rnpporting a large Cap stone shou:d be designated a Dolmen, the name by which these struetures arc know11 over most of Europe. The name Cromleck, confi:lccl to Ire·- lar~d, is a misnomer, and is nJt understood by Contine!1tal Antiquarie3. ·while these are. undoubtedly, Sepulchral Monuments, they should not be called Giant's Graves. and certaintly not Druids' Altars, nor the be:!s of Dermod and Crar.ia. A _sirnilar structure (rare in Ireland j with on:y two stones . sl.~pporiing the Cap stone, and · where it is evident a third supp~>rt h3:;; -!i(,t hce!1 rctn:>verl . is con·er-tly na.med Trilithons. Half Dolmen. F requen\ly w.: find one end of the Can stone resting on the earth, and that has be~n its original p::isition. where there is no evidence that it sli·oped into that positi:m. Such a Monument may be described as a ha.,f Do:men. a Demi--:::>olmen. or <Jn "Earth-fcot Dolrr:en'', Half Dolmen is preferred. A structure cons.istin.g of two nar:-iilcl row" of standing "tones. ~ nppor-ting' c•c)Vt' l'inr: slnne;:., h :in Alire Coove rte.
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